Longtime Chicago Bulls ahead Bob Love died on Monday after a battle with most cancers, the staff introduced.
He was 81.
We mourn the passing of Bob Love, who handed away as we speak in Chicago on the age of 81 after an extended battle with most cancers.
“Bob was a true legend and a beloved member of our family,” the Bulls mentioned in an announcement, partly. “During his nine remarkable seasons with the Bulls, Bob was a three-time NBA All-Star, a tenacious defender and a cornerstone of our team … He became an inspirational figure and a passionate community ambassador for the Bulls, dedicating himself to charitable causes and uplifting countless lives with his motivational speeches. We are profoundly grateful for his enduring contributions and legacy both on and off the court in Chicago.”
Love was first chosen within the fourth spherical of the 1965 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals, and he made his debut within the league the next season. After two years with the franchise, Love landed in Milwaukee briefly earlier than becoming a member of the Bulls throughout the 1968-69 marketing campaign.
He shortly dominated with the franchise throughout his 9 seasons with the group. The Louisiana native averaged 21.3 factors and 6.8 rebounds per sport whereas incomes three All-Star nods, two All-NBA staff and three all-defensive staff honors with the Bulls. Love helped lead the Bulls to the Japanese Convention finals twice in 1974 and 1975, too, which was the staff’s deepest run within the playoffs on the time.
Love jumped round throughout his last yr within the league throughout the 1976-77 season, taking part in for the Bulls, the New York Knicks and the Seattle SuperSonics earlier than he retired. In complete, he averaged 17.6 factors and 5.9 rebounds in 789 video games over his 11 seasons within the NBA.
Love racked up 12,623 factors with the Bulls, which is the third-most in staff historical past behind solely Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. The Bulls retired his No. 10 jersey, which made him the second participant in staff historical past to have his jersey raised on the United Heart. Love later labored as a staff ambassador and, regardless of rising up with a stutter, turned a motivational speaker across the Chicago space.
“I talk about never giving up, never playing the victim in life, and holding on to your dreams,” Love mentioned in 2015, . “Never let anyone tell you that you can’t succeed. All my life I wanted to be like Dr. Martin Luther King; I wanted to be a great speaker. I couldn’t, but I had those dreams and I held onto those dreams all my life. When I get up there sometimes in front of thousands of people, I envision myself being Dr. King or John Kennedy. Those were my heroes.
“All people has a battle in life you need to overcome. I am an instance. Do not surrender in your goals it doesn’t matter what everybody says.”
